Which Hilton Card is Better? The American Express Hilton Surpass Or Citi Hilton Reserve?

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the latest offers.

Million Mile Secrets reader Nandan emails with a question about which is the better Hilton hotel credit card:

Citi Hilton Hon

or

s Reserve Card

or

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or

s Surpass Or Citi Hilton HHon

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ea

Nandan wants to know which Hilton credit card will give him the most bonus points and the maximum benefits, so let’s take a look at both cards.

Hilton Hon

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s Surpass Card from American Express

Link:  Hilton Hon

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s™ Surpass® Card from American Express

Nandan earns 100,000 points after he spends $3,000 on purchases in the 1st 3 months of opening the Hilton Hon

or

s Surpass Card from American Express. Nandan will get free Hilton or

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or

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or

s Surpass Or Citi Hilton HHon

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s Visa” width=”279″ height=”300″ /> Nandan Gets Hilton Gold Status And if Nandan is a or

eign-transaction-fee-cards/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>no f

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eign transaction fee card, like the Citi Hilton HHon

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s Reserve card.

Citi Hilton HHon

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s Reserve

Link:  Citi Hilton Reserve

Citibank has a no annual fee Hilton card as well as the Citi Hilton Reserve card which has a $95 annual fee which is NOT waived f

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the 1st year.

Nandan gets 2 weekend night certificates good at almost any Hilton after he spends $2,500 within 4 months.

The certificates are valid f

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12 months from when they are issued. Nandan can use the certificates at any Grand Wailea in Hawaii.  Emily and I stayed there on our Spring Break trip to Maui.

or

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or

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or

s Surpass Or Citi Hilton HHon

or

s Visa” width=”600″ height=”399″ /> Emily And Daraius At The Grand Wailea

But Nandan can only redeem the free night certificates f

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weekends, i.e. Friday, Saturday,

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Sunday, so he can’t use them to spend a full week in Maui. But he could use the certificates on the weekends and use Hilton points f

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the weekdays since there are Conrad Tokyo,

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the or

a-b

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a-nui/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Emily and I had our second honeymoon.

or

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or

s Surpass Or Citi Hilton HHon

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s Visa” width=”600″ height=”399″ /> At The Hilton B

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a B

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a Nui

Nandan gets free Hilton Citi Hilton Reserve card also has no f

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eign transaction fees!  So he could use the Citi Hilton Reserve f

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stays at Hilton outside the US.

COMPARING THE TWO HILTON CARDS

Let’s compare the 2 cards.

I’d pick the Citi Hilton Reserve if I had to pick just 1 of the 2 Hilton cards.

1.   2 Free Weekend Nights Or 60,000 Points

Nandan will get m

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e value from the 2 free weekend nights at almost any Hilton with the Citi Hilton Reserve card than with the 60,000 point sign-up bonus with the American Express Surpass card. That’s because or

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or

s Surpass Or Citi Hilton HHon

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s Visa” width=”600″ height=”327″ /> Nandan Could Stay At The Conrad Bali

But he would get 2 weekend nights with the free night certificates from the Citi Hilton Reserve.

So he could stay f

or

2 nights at a Categ

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y 9 hotel like the or

s.php”>Wald

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f Ast

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ia Rome Cavalieri.

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or

s Surpass Or Citi Hilton HHon

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s Visa” width=”600″ height=”399″ /> Emily And Daraius At The Hilton Mo

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ea

That said, if Nandan prefers staying in categ

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y 3

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lower Hilton hotels which cost 20,000 points, he is better off with the 60,000 points from the American Express Hilton Surpass which will get him 3 nights at 20,000 points per night. The Citi Hilton Reserve will only get him 2 nights at a categ

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y 3

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lower Hilton. Winner:  Citi Hilton Reserve f

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stays in categ

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y 4

or

higher Hilton hotels.  American Express Hilton Surpass f

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stays in categ

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y 3 Hilton

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lower.

2.   Free Gold Elite Status

Nandan gets free or

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-american-express-platinum-cardholders/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>free Hilton Gold status if he has an American Express Platinum card

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if he buys a ~$50 Milepoint Premium membership.

Status Matching To Get Free Hyatt Nights In Suite

Nandan might be able to match his Hilton Gold status to a trial Hyatt Diamond status.  Note that matching to Hyatt Diamond status might be a once in a lifetime opp

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tunity.

Hyatt Diamond status gets Nandan:

• Free breakfast (f

  or

  up to 4 people in the room)
• Free internet
• Free lounge access (free snacks and soft drinks)
• 4 suite upgrades a year (f

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  paid reservations)
• Welcome gift (snack

  or

  drink)

  or

  extra Hyatt points
• 4 pm late check out

Nandan will  have the trial Hyatt Diamond status f

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60 days and 4 confirmed suite upgrades f

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paid stays.

He keeps Diamond status if he stays 12 nights (paid with cash and not points) within the 60 days of his trial Diamond membership.

or

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or

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s Surpass Or Citi Hilton HHon

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s Visa” width=”600″ height=”399″ /> Emily In Our Suite At The Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach

You have to email Hyatt at goldpassp

or

[email protected].

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call Hyatt to ask f

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the trial Hyatt Diamond status match. Winner:  Tie.  Citi Hilton Reserve 

or

 American Express Hilton Surpass

3.   Free Weekend Night After Spending $10,000 Each Year

Nandan gets a free weekend night after spending $10,000 within his membership year (1 year from the date when he is approved and resets each year) on the Citi Hilton Reserve.

But like the free weekend certificate from the sign-up bonus, the free weekend night is not valid at all-inclusive, Hilton Grand hotels,

or

Wald

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f Ast

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ia hotels which have only suites

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villas.

Nandan could use it to stay at the Conrad Koh Sumui in Thailand.

or

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Winner:  Citi Hilton Reserve

4.   Top Tier Hilton Diamond Status After Spending $40,000

Nandan will get  5.   No F

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eign Transaction Fees & Card Has A Chip Nandan will pay no f

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eign transaction fees using the Citi Hilton Reserve.  But he will pay a 2.7% f

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eign transaction fee on the American Express Surpass card. The Citi Hilton Reserve also has Chip and Signature technology, which 6.   Earning Hilton Points Nandan earns 12 Hilton points f

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every $1 he spends at Hilton hotels using his American Express Surpass card which is better than the 10 points per $1 spent using the Citi Hilton Reserve card. But if Nandan is staying at Hilton hotels outside the US, he is better off skipping the 2 extra points with the American Express Surpass and using his Citi Hilton Reserve card because it doesn’t charge f

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eign transaction fees.

or

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or

s Surpass Or Citi Hilton HHon

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s Visa” width=”300″ height=”299″ /> The Citi Hilton Reserve Has No F

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eign Transaction Fees

The American Express Surpass card earns 6 points per $1 spent at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and 3 points per $1 spent on everything else.

That could be m

or

e valuable to than 5 points per $1 spent on airlines and car rentals with the Citi Hilton Reserve.  But it really depends on your spending patterns. Winner:  It depends on your spending patterns.   

7.   $95 Annual Fee

Nandan will pay a $75 annual fee f

or

the Hilton Surpass card

or

$95 annual fee f

or

the Citi Hilton Reserve. Basically Nandan is paying $75 to get 1 night at a Categ

or

y 7 Hilton (60,000 points with the American Express Surpass card)

or

$95 to get 2 free weekend nights at almost all Hilton hotels with the Citi Hilton Reserve card. Winner:  The American Express Surpass card has a $20 lower fee, so it is the winner if your only criteria is the low annual fee.  But I’d rather have the Citi Hilton Reserve f

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the 1st year (and get the 2 free weekend nights) and have the American Express Surpass f

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the 2nd year onward f

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free Hilton Gold status. If you spend m

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e than $10,000 a year, you’re better off with the Citi Hilton Reserve f

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the 2nd year onwards as well because you get 1 free weekend night.

Citi Hilton Reserve card.  Both cards will also give him Hilton Diamond status if he spends $40,000 a year.

But Nandan also gets 1 free night at almost any Hilton when he spends $10,000 on the Hilton Reserve.  And 2 weekend nights at almost any Hilton as a signup bonus compared to 100,000 points after meeting minimum spending requirements on the Hilton Surpass card.

In addition, Nandan also pays no f

or

eign transaction fees on the Citi Hilton Reserve.

So, if I had to pick only 1 Hilton card, I’d pick the Citi Hilton Reserve card over the American Express Surpass card.